Read this slowly. Take a moment to breathe, relax, enjoy this one, single, solitary moment. Don’t rush, don’t hurry, just feel yourself sitting … and breathing.
Now ask yourself: What does health mean to me? What does wellness mean to me? And how can I cultivate time to focus on my own health and wellness?
Hopefully, you already feel a little better by providing yourself a few quiet moments to breathe, slow down and relax.
In 2020 and into 2021, during what feels like a never-ending pandemic, the Healthy New Albany team decided to ask ourselves these very same questions. In an effort to use the unusual (and uncomfortable) times to the best of our advantage, we examined and discussed what makes up health and how our nonprofit organization, built on the tenets of health and wellness, can help our community endeavor to find their best version of well-being.
Here’s what we came up with.
Health is indispensable, not only to individuals but to the community as a whole. Now more than ever, having a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be healthy and well is important for individuals and communities to thrive. Health and wellness mean more than just following a balanced diet and making time for exercise. While these things are surely important, health and well-being are multi-faceted and interrelated, involving complex networks of innumerable variables and social determinants of health. The pandemic provided great insight and perspective into the varying and complex health needs of children and people of all ages in our community. We recognize now more than ever that the totality of health must include physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual and behavioral health. That we are bound by our connections to others and inexorably connected to the individuals around us and the community that we share.
As part of our looking glass experiment, the HNA team sought to discover what services are most needed in the community and refined our work to meet those needs. From this exercise, we have defined and refined our service lines.
We incorporated a new Healthy New Albany logo that still conveys the spirit and heart of the well-known community brand, with a refreshed and modern twist, while the redefined service lines provide the platform and infrastructure for continued growth.
We are here in service, to recognize the shared value of health and wellness in our community, and beyond. We are dedicated to creating and promoting a culture of health for all community members. We intend to enrich the well-being of our community through health promotion, education, engagement and partnership.
In spite of the trouble and tragedies as a result of the pandemic, and as we wind down 2021 (where did the year go?!) and look ahead to 2022, we look forward to walking with you on your journey towards wellness, whatever that means for you. We hope that you can find a connection (or two, or three!) with the programs and services offered by Healthy New Albany in the coming months and years.
We look forward with great anticipation to connecting our community in health!
Please visit healthynewalbany.org to sign up for our newsletter and to learn more about our programs and initiatives.
Angela Douglas is the executive director of Healthy New Albany. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
